This Article is From Apr 26, 2017

Anti-Romeo Squads: Don't Arrest, Call Their Parents, Directs UP Police Chief

Anti-Romeo Squads: Don't Arrest, Call Their Parents, Directs UP Police Chief

Police chief Sulkhan Singh said those indulging in rowdy behaviour need not be arrested.

Lucknow: Among one of the important tasks after assuming the top job, UP Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh issued certain dos and don'ts for the UP Police on anti-Romeo squads.  While making it clear that no one should be allowed to take the law into their hands, he said those indulging in rowdy behaviour need not be arrested and instead their guardians be called and briefed. 

The DGP held a meeting with top officials of the state, issued necessary directives through a video conference last night, a police spokesman said today. 

"The SSPs/SPs have been asked to personally brief the squad that they do not have to investigate any issue and act only against the rowdy elements," he said. They have also been asked to record the action taken by them, he said. 

Just a few days back, he had announced that the squads would "go undercover", and would be only mandated to track people who tease or harass girls from a distance. "They will not stop anyone and question them, or interrogate them. This is not part of their job," he said.

Young men were stopped for questioning by cops, shamed and forced to do sit-ups in various cities of the state. When complaints of police harassing boys began to pour in, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had to direct the cops not to harass the innocent.

DGP Singh also said that stern action would be taken against cow vigilantes indulging in violence or creating anarchy by taking the law in their hands in the name of cow protection or other issues. He gave instructions to take stern action against cow vigilantes taking law in their hands in the name of gau raksha (cow protection). 

Sulkhan Singh was appointed the Uttar Pradesh's Director General of Police in Yogi Adityanath's law and order reshuffle on Friday. He replaced S Javeed Ahmed, who was appointed to the post by the Akhilesh Yadav government last year in January.

(With inputs from PTI)
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